Electrical signaling system.



W NOBLE. ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1 13, 1909.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN NOBLE, OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO COLLINS THOMPSON AND TALTON T. FRANCIS, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

-ELECTRICAL SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Tooll whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, WARREN Nome, a

' British subject, residing at St. Louis, M1ssouri, have invented a certain new and use ful Improvement in Electrical Signaling Systems, of which the following 18 a full,

' clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which-it .appertains to make andfuse the same.

This invention relates to electrical signaling systems. V

The main object of my invention 1s to provide a system which is so designed that a circuit subsidiary to a, main circuitw ll be opened, closed or diverted only Whena certain current impulse passes in the ma n err.- cuit and so that a greater or lesser current in the main circuit outside desired limits will have no effect upon the subsidiary circuits.

The purpos'esto whichwa system-of this character may beappli'ed are so numerous. that I ,will not attempt to'enumerate all of them but I wish it to be distinctly understood that it is particularly useful in selective telegraph 'work, railroad de'spatchmg apparatus, selective wireless telegraphy, loeating fire or burglar-alarms1nfact, for all selective signaling purposes in wh ch more than a. single metallic or grounded line is undesirable; It also has features adapting it peculiarly to electrically-controlled a coin-collecting apparatus used at telephone pay stations, to voltage regulators, and to many kinds of electrical apparatus now functioningby more complex means.

Moreover, my invention is particularly adapted to a wide-variety of purposes since 'it is op'erativeuponeither direct or alternating current, and since unless so designed it is unaffected by achange in current'direction.

Briefly described, my invention consists in a system comprising a relay provided with a contact operating member that causes the circuit controlled by therelay to be closed, opened or diverted only when a certainamount of current passes in the main or actuating circuit in which the relay is arranged. lVhen a current passes in this main or actuating circuit in excess of, or less than, the known or certain amount the relay is adjusted or wound to operate upon, the r.ontact operating member will fail to cause the circuitor circuits controlled by .therelay-to Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 24., 1912, Application filed July 16, 1909. Serial No. 507,938. I

be opened, closed or dii'e'rted. Various means can be employed for controlling or actuating the contact-operating member, such, for example, as a device for moving said member in one direction orin a certain path, and independent means for moving said member at an angle to the path in which the said device moves it, said device and means cooperating with each other to cause the contact which said member controls to engage or fail to engage a cooperating contact. The contact-operating member preferably consists of a. beam o r'pivoted device carrying armatures, tive fields of an electro-magnet and a perma-' nent magnet so arranged as to affect the balance of the beam carrying the armatures. and a separate electro-magnet for bodily moving or shifting said beam and the attached armatures to cause the contact or contacts which said beam controls vto function with regard to other contacts. The balancing electro-magnet; namely, that. which cooperates with the lying in the respecaffecting thebalance of the beam, may be connected either in series or multiple with theelectro-magnet that bodily shifts the beam, and both are connected with the main circuit so that they will be energized when current flows over the main circuit, the shiftmg electro-magnet being more powerful than the permanentmagnct so as to overcome the force which the permanent magnet and the balancing electro-magnet exert jointly on the beam when their respective exerted forces balance. The current which flows over the main circuit bodily shifts the beam but-unless t-he intensity of the magnetic field created at the balanoingmagnet pole is suchas to attract its armature with a force exactly suflicient to balance the attraction of the permanent magnet upon its armature, the beam to which the armatures are attached will move in such a path that the contact or contacts itcontrols will fail to function w th the opposed contact or contacts. If, lie-sever, the forcesupon the respcctivc armatures are suchas to balance the beam it-will remain in equilibrium as the shiftin g magnet bodily moves it, and the stationary contact or contacts being suitably arranged, the circuit or circuits controlled by the relay will be closed, opened or ditively, are such that unequal turning moments about the pivot of the beam are set up the beam will fulcrum about thepo-le creating the greater moment, with the result that the contact or contact-operating mechanism. will be caused to fail to function with the stationary or cooperating contact or contacts of the controlled circuit or circuits.

' Figure it ot' the drawings is a diagrammatic illustrating one form of my invention arranged to control a subsidiary circuit; Fig, 2 is an elevational view of a. relay slightly different in construction from that shown in Fig. 1, using bi-polar magnets; Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the relay shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a diagram of the relay beam arranged to close two contacts when operated by current impulses above or below; redetermined margins and to remain neutra between those margins; Fig. 5 shows a diagram of the relay beam arranged to close'three contacts when operated by current impulsesabove, below or between predetermined margins; and Fig. 6 shows a diagram of the relay arranged to control a series of contacts upon a current impulse between predetermined, margins.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 designates a main circuit, and 2 a bell ircuit or local circuit.

A non-magnetic beam or ,centrally pivoted device 3 carries armatures 11 lyingin the fields: of electro-magnet- 8 and permanent magnet 9, respectively. Beam 3 controls the movable contact 4 of the local circuit, and stationary contact 5 of said local circuit is arranged in such a position as to be engaged by movable contact 4 only when the beam 3 is bodily shifted While: in balance. I have herein .shown movable contact 4 as'being carried by a leg 6'that depends from beam 3 but it will be obvious that the movableeontact could be carried by a member separate- I and distinct from the beam andhaving no direct connection thereto or to the arm 6 on the beam. The beam 3 is preferably fulcrumed on orpivoted to a movable member herein shown as lever 7.

I The balancing electro-magnet 8 is shown connected in multiple with an electro-niagnet 10 which I will hereinafter term the shifting magnet, both being tapped into the main circuit 1 so that they will be energized simultaneously by a-current flowing in the main circuit. Thesupport 7 carryingthe beam 3 is provided with an armature coiipcrating with the shifting magnet 10.

-VVhenever a current passes over the main circuit the support 7 will be moved upwardly and the beam 3 will swing in one direction'or the other if the current flowing in the balancing magnet 8 is not such as to produce a magnetic field which will so act upon its armature as to balance the force excrted by the permanent magnet 9 upon its armature. The effect of either too strong or too wealca current impulse will be to cause the beam 3 to fulcrum about the pole having the advantage, thus causing the movable contact 4 to swing to one side or the other and so cause it to miss the stationary colr tact 5 of the local circuit in moving toward it. If, hoavevcr, the forces acting on the armatures attached to the beam 3 are such as to maintain .its equilibrium as the support 7 is raisedfby the shifting magnet 10 the move w able Contact 4 will be brought into contact the local cirwith stationary contact 5 and 'be undercuit closed. ';It will, of course,

stood that tvith a telephone installation employing relays of this character each subscribers station would be sensitive to a different current impulse and that the central exchange would be provided with means for grading the current sent over the line so as to call ditlerent stations. Such means might be a variable resistance and millimeter M. In such case the operator would first send out a maximum orminimum impulse which would have no effect upon the relay controlled circuits, then adjust the resistance until the desired reading of the millimeter-for the particular station is obtained; that is, until the current strength is the same as that at which the subscribers relay. is known to be sensitive, and then operate the ringing key, the function of which would be to first break and then remake themain circuit.

If there he, say, five stations on a line and it be desired to ring No. 3, the stations being sensitive to ascending amounts of current, the relays would arrange themselves di- Nos. 4

vcrscl'y on either side of No. 3. Thus, Nos. 4 1i and'2 would lie with their beams fulcrumed about the balancing magnets,

'and 5 with their beams fulcrumed about the in shown in that anycurrent above their critical operation current will also cause them to operate.

In order that similar windings may be used throughout a system employing relays ofthe type herein shown it is desirable that adjustment be provided for the {permanent magnet so that the force exerte upon its armature may be varied by causing the magnet to approach or re'cede from its armature. By so doing the intensity of field necessary on the, art of the balancing magnet to maintain the beam in equilibrium may become greater or less capable of creation only by a greater or less amount of current in the winding of the balancing magnets.

For practical work it is desirable that the relay shall fork with a slightly varying amount of current but not with currents beyond the desired variations, margins or limits. This variation may be compensated for by making the dependent portion of the beam more or less ponderous or by an arrangement of springs. However, by increasing the distances of the centers of gravity of the armatures from the axis of the beam any desired sensitiveness may'be obtained, such sensitiveness being dependent only upon the effort necessary to disturb the beam sufficiently to cause the movable contact or contacts it controls to miss the stationary contact or contacts.

In Fig. 1 a margin-regulating spring is shown at 14. It .will be readily seen that the beam or corresponding device maybe arranged vertically or horizontallyand that either single pole or bi-polar magnets may be used.

' Figs. 2 and 3 show a bi-polar arrangement for controlling the beam. In this'construction a bi-polar electro-magnet 8 is arranged on one side of the fulcrum of the beam 3, and a bi-polar permanent magnet 9 is arranged on the opposite side of said fulcrum for controlling the equipoise of the beam,

and a bipolar electro-magnet 10 is provided for bodily shifting the beam so as to carry the movable contact 4 into and out of engagement with the stationary contact 5 of the local circuit. The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is also provided with devicesl l for adjusting the magnets 8 and 9 relatively to the armatures of the beam but it will, of

course, be obvious that various other means could. be employed for accomplishing the same result. i

The principle of operation of the relay shown in Fig. 2 is exactly the same as that shown in Fig. l for when the force exerted by the field of the balancing magnet 8 on its armature. is less than; that of the permanent magnet 9 the beam 3 will fulcrum on the poles of the pcrmantint magnet and thus causethe movable contact 4 to swing to one side of the stationary contact 5" whenever the support 7 which carries said beam is lift-ed by the shifting magnet 10. When the 'force'cxerted by the field of the balancing magnet 8 on its armature is stronger than that exerted by the permanent magnet on its armature the beam 3 will fulcrum on the pole of the balancing magnet 8 and thebeam will swing to v.the opposite side as the support is lifted. If the forces" are such that the beam remains. in equilibrium as it is lifted the movable contact 4* will engage the stationary contact 5 of the controlled circuit.

It will be obvious also that if desired my system may be utilized to close more than one subsidiary circuit. For example, a' series of contacts might be mounted above the stationary contact and the lifting of the beam caused to transmit a closing impulse to them in sequence, or a greater or less current than the critical operating current the relay is sensitive to may be caused to operate circuits as the beam rocks to .one side or the other.

In the construct-ion illustrated in Fig. 4, m and 3 designate stationarycontacts which are adapted to be closed by contacts w and 8 on the dependent portion 6 of the beam?) .as the beam,is caused to rock from one side to the other. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 5, w, s and 4 represent contacts oper-- ated by the beam, and 00,3] and 5 are stationary contacts. Contacts w .and w are brought together beyond one current marin; contacts 8 and "y are brought together beyond the other current margin, and 4 and 5 are brought together by a currentv impulse between the margins.

In the construction illustrated in FigI'G I circuit 1 is broken and circuits 2 and 3 are closed when the beam lifts in equilibrium;

2'. 0., when the relay is operated by acurrent impulse between its set margins, current impulses above or below the determined impulse leaving circuits 1, 2 and3 unaffected.

While I have herein illustrated several ways of controlling-the subsidiary circuit I wish it to be clearly understood that it is immaterial so far as my broad idea is concerned what particular means is used for"- controlling the subsidiary circuit so long as said means is operated only by a known current impulse in the main circuit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent is:

1. In. an electrical signaling system, a

main circuit, a controlled circuit, and means for opening, closing or diverting said controlled circuit when a certain amount of current passes over the main circuit, said means being so designed that the controlled circuit will remain without change, when a current passes in the main circuit greater or less than said certain amount. y 2. In an electrical signaling system, a circuit or circuits, a member for controlling saidcircuit or circuits, an electrically-operated device for causing said member to move in one direction, and electrically-operated means. for causing said member to control the circuit or circuits when a current of certain magnitude actuates said means and to fail to control said circuit or circuits when a current of different magnitude actuates said means.

3. In an electrical signaling system a contact-controlling device, and means for causing said contact-controlling device to close, open or divert subsidiary circuits according to the magnitude of the current passed through said means, and so as to close, open or divert a circuit or circuits when a current impulse less than a predetermined minimum current passes, and to close, open or divert another circuit or circuits when a current trolling deviceremaining neutral with regard to said circuits when a current impulse not greater or less than the set maximum or minimum is passed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this thirteenth day of July 1909. y

- WARREN NOBLE.

Witnesses:

lVELLs L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

